The University of the Free State (UFS) continues to deliver top graduates who excel nationally and internationally in their chosen fields. 

Appointed in July 2021 by President Hage Geingob of Namibia, Hamauka is one of eight members of the task force selected to assist the Namibian government in preparing the country for the 4IR over a period of twelve months.

“I feel highly honoured being recognised by the president. I could not believe it,” she responded when asked how she felt about this achievement.

Serving on the panel with Prof Tshilidzi Marwala, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg, and Dr Martyn Davies, Managing Director: Emerging Markets of Deloitte South Africa, she deems this a remarkable opportunity and appreciates the diversity in the team.

Hamauka is also a principal economist at the Bank of Namibia and had much to say about the 4IR. "We need to harness the benefits offered by these technologies, because there is so much to gain from them," she said.

The 4IR is recognised by an ever-changing world that is constantly developing. It is a combination of advances in various technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), wireless technology, robotics, and the internet of things (IoT), among others. “I head the work stream on Policy, Regulations and Governance. We need to ensure that the legal environment is conducive to 4IR and that laws become accommodative for technologies. For example, courts in South Africa have become virtual, and in Namibia we don’t have that infrastructure. So, the president wanted a team to assess and ascertain if the country is ready for 4IR and if it’s not ready, what is it that we still need to do to be ready,” she explained.

With an undergraduate qualification in Economics, Hamauka completed a Bachelor of Commerce Honours (BComHons) and a Master of Commerce (MCom) in Financial Economics and Investment Management at the UFS. “I’ve always wanted to be an economist and when I completed my undergrad, I wanted a combination of finance and economics for my postgraduate studies, that’s why I chose the UFS. It had a mixture of the two, something other universities in South Africa didn’t offer,” she highlighted.

When asked how her experience at the UFS contributed to her success, she proudly emphasised that the university had taught her that there is nothing she could not do. Hamauka further outlined: "Lecturers at the university taught me the importance of preparation and believing in myself. Two lecturers who stood out were Prof Philippe Burger and Dr Jesse de Beer. Prof Burger expects excellence and is willing to help you achieve that excellence. If you're willing, he'll meet you halfway. He works with you and helps you get it right. Dr De Beer encouraged me by saying that I can do it. I learnt to apply myself, to do massive research, to work on my case studies, and to ask for help when I needed it. I gained confidence at the university, something I didn't have before I started there,” she outlined.

"For me, it was the culture of hard work, dedication, and commitment the university had. If you don't have that mindset, you won’t make it. A combination of all that really paid off,” Hamauka said.

“I wanted to give up because the work was so complex, but then I realised that I just needed to put in more effort. All you need is a mind shift, consultation, and being open to tutors. If I can do it, anybody can!”